A cat serial killer has hit Saint Pierre la Mer in France where local news media report more than 200 felines have been poisoned over the last month.

Authorities fear someone is deliberately poisoning the cats in Saint Pierre la Mer, about 55 miles southwest of the French town of Montpellier, reported London's Daily Mail. Residents there have swamped the Society for the Protection of Animals with calls fearing their cats may be in danger, said the French newspaper La Depeche.

There were reports that birds and rodents have also been found dead, and residents are concerned that other animals and even people could be affected by whatever has been used to kill the cats, saod the Daily Mail.

"The atmosphere has become hateful, nobody trusts anyone," one villager named Geneviève told the French daily Ouest-France, according to the BBC News. "We're all afraid a child might ingest some of this mystery poison."

Another local resident, Andre Ruia told the French website L'Independant Friday that the dead cat count continued to rise, per the Scottish Sun.

"Since the beginning of the week, they have found about 50 poisoned cats," Ruia said.

The Scottish Sun said strays and domestic cats have both been found dead sidewalks in Saint Pierre la Mer. The BBC News said the Association of Stray Cats reported the deaths to police and hopes that autopsies can be carried out to determine what killed the cats.

Cats have been gaining in popularity in France after years where dogs were the preferred pets. In 2010, Société Protectrice des Animaux, of SPA, estimated that there were 10.7 million cats living as pets in French homes up 750,000 from 2009, according to The Connexion.

Over the same time, dogs as pets in France decreased by 696,000 to 7.8 million.

Many expressed concern about the serial cat killer on social media.

it's only a matter of time before this sicko moves on to human targets, hope they catch them fast & lock them up for a very long time.